Historic Treasure of the Week - May 5, 1991
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - May 5, 1991
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society
Kachina dolls link spiritual and material
The kachina doll is a product of the religion of the Hopi culture. The Hopi are a Native American tribe who life in pueblos on a scattering of mesas in New Mexico and Arizona.
Their religion is complex and a very pervasive element in all aspects of their lives. Part of that belief is that every natural thing has two elements: one a part of the material world, and one immaterial, or an essence. The medium that ties the two together is the kachina.
The kachina has three aspects: the supernatural; the mask impersonator of the supernatural’s being; and the small doll carved in the kachina’s likeness. The first two are referred to as kachina, the latter is called a kachina doll.
The kachina, the masked impersonator who dances in the village plaza and participates in the religious ceremonies, is not seen as a man of the village simply acting the part of the spirit. When he dons his paint, costume and mask he becomes a part of their spiritual world, and, for a short time, becomes the essence of the kachina his costume is based upon. Thus, through prayer, dance, costume and feathers, the spirit world is brought to the normal world.
When the kachina dances he frequently gives small painted wooden images of himself to women, girls and infants. These are not given as toys, but rather for religious instruction.
Women never don the masks of the kachina, so these small dolls also are used to tie the women of the tribe to the spiritual world. The kachina doll can represent the supernatural essence watching over the woman’s interests.
The dolls usually are made by uncles, husbands or other male relatives, and are often carved in the privacy of the kiva, an underground ceremonial chamber.
The wood body comes from the root of the cottonwood tree. After the doll has been carved it is coated with a thin layer of white clay. The clay is then painted and embellished with feathers, fur, shells or plants.
The number of known kachina doll types is close to 500. The variation in types is broad, depending on the current popularity of the kachina, the village where it was carved, even the skill of the carver. Kachina dolls also change in appearance over time, as new variations are added to their costumes and other decorations disappear.
The Hopi probably make less than 1,000 of the spiritual kachina dolls per year. A large number are taken to the trading store by the children who receive them, where they are exchanged for other goods. The dolls then are sold to curio stores and galleries.
The collection of kachna dolls has grown to the point that some dolls are even being made by people who aren’t members of the Hopi tribe. A few Hopi tribal members make dolls for the tourist trade but these would not be considered authentic kachinas.
The kachina collection at the Historical Museum was a gift from the late Fannie Louise Burgheim Blumberg. It is displayed n the Native American section at the museum.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.